Located between Spokane and the Canadian border, Sandpoint is an intimate community with endless outdoor recreation, including Idaho’s largest ski resort. “It’s a pretty unique place in the West. We have huge access to the lake and very few places have that. You get to know your community because of the population under 10,000,” says Mickey Quinn, executive director of the Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce and resident of over 25 years. Before becoming a city in 1907, Sandpoint belonged to the Kalispel Native American Tribe. Northwest Company fur trader David Thompson established relationships with the tribe and began trading in the region. Sandpoint sits next to Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho’s largest lake, and has 360 views of the Cabinet and Selkirk Mountains. “The people and the area itself are beautiful. I lived all over the U.S., and it’s remarkable to have a beautiful place as far as landscaping and a national forest. It’s a welcoming town,” she says.
Most residents work in Sandpoint proper; top employers include the Lake Pend Oreille School District, Bonner General, the Bonner County Government and the city. Sandpoint is also home to Schweitzer Mountain Resort, the largest in Idaho. “Tourism is 30% of our economy, and we see a peak in the winter and the summer. When the skiing season closes, it becomes quieter,” she adds. According to the U.S. Census, the city’s population is 10,024, an increase of 15% over 2020. “We had a big surge during Covid, specifically those looking for a state that’s less regulated,” Quinn says.
Sandpoint offers beautiful views over the surrounding mountains.
Locals and tourists alike come to enjoy the snow near Schweitzer mountain.
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Home to Schweitzer Mountain Resort
Recreation is one of the city’s main draws; Sandpoint has over 20 city parks and 200 miles of trails, and the city is within 10 miles of popular state parks. City Beach Park is a 22-acre park bordering Lake Pend Oreille. Visitors can enjoy the sandy beach and go swimming, kayaking or boating. There are also multiple athletic courts, playgrounds and walking trails. Schweitzer Mountain Resort is the region’s crown jewel for skiing; it has over 92 runs, varying from expert-level to beginner-friendly rides. The resort also includes the Village at Schweitzer, which has over a dozen fine-dining restaurants, shops and a spa. Summers at Schweitzer are also busy; visitors can hike, play disc golf, ride mountain bikes or go ziplining. Sandpoint Elks Golf Course is a 9-hole public course, while the Idaho Club is a membership-based country club with an 18-hole course, fishing and water activities.
City Beach Park features beautiful views over the lake and mountains.
Schweitzer mountain resort is a popular place for winter events and gatherings.
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Mix of ranch homes and modern lakeside condos
Because of the lake, home prices in Sandpoint tend to be higher than other parts of Idaho. Buyers can find condos, townhouses and single-family homes; homes built in the early 20th century are usually ranch or Cape-Cod style properties clustered towards the downtown area. Prices range from $260,000 for fixer-uppers to $998,000 for homes near the lake or restaurants. Twenty-first century homes usually sit on lots of less than an acre; some are in planned subdivisions like Madison Meadows, Base Camp and Boyer Meadows. Styles vary between traditional two-stories, contemporary ranchers and modern new constructions. These can cost $340,000 to $1 million. Most lakeside properties in Sandpoint are modern condos with two or more bedrooms. Inland condos cost between $250,000 to $700,000, while lakeside condos cost between $1 million and $4 million. The median single-family home price in Sandpoint is $665,000; for townhouses it’s $1.4 million.
Ranch style homes are some of the more popular homes in the city of Sandpoint.
Lakeside condos can be found all along the lake in Sandpoint,
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Trendy restaurants and breweries clustered in Downtown Sandpoint
Downtown is the city’s main shopping and eating hub. Between 5th and 1st avenues is the city’s most walkable area; here, stores in brick buildings have older signage from their previous lives. “Downtown Sandpoint is great for shopping,” Quinn says. “There aren’t any chains; it’s all mom-and-pops and locally-owned shops and restaurants.” The Cedar Street Bridge Public Market is equivalent to Seattle’s Pike Place Market, but on a smaller scale. It has 35 food vendors serving American, Mexican and Chinese food, plus artisan vendors. Sandpoint also has several breweries and wineries, including MickDuff’s Brewing Company, which serves seasonal beers, wines and ciders in the city’s former post office building. Towards the north end of the city are big box stores and national retailers like Walmart Supercenter and Petco.
many locals enjoy walking around the shops in downtown Sandpoint.
Lots of people go to the Cedar Street Market to do their shopping in downtown Sandpoint.
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Ten days of skiing and winter celebrations at Sandpoint Winter Carnival
Sandpoint’s annual events draw just as many tourists as its ski slopes. The Sandpoint Winter Carnival is a ten-day fair celebrating the season; it kicks off with a parade of floats and bright lights and concerts, skiing activities at Schweitzer and a K9 Keg Pull happen throughout the course of the event. The city hosts cycling races and marathons during the spring and summer; the 2024 CHAFE 150 is a 150-mile route around the Cabinet Mountains, while Spokane to Sandpoint is a 200-mile relay race between the cities. The Penn Oreille Arts Council holds an annual arts and crafts fair in downtown Sandpoint, bringing 5,000 visitors and dozens of artisan vendors.
Car-dependent area with active Amtrak station
Most residents of Sandpoint drive to get around. Highway 95 is the primary north-south route in the city, with access to the Canada border 60 miles north and Coeur d’Alene 46 miles south. Route 2 is the main east-west route through Sandpoint; it takes drivers to the Washington Border, 30 miles away. Some locals take the bus via the Selkirks Pend Oreille Transit or, as locals call it, SPOT. The bus routes go around downtown and into the suburbs of Ponderay and Dover. Sandpoint also has an active Amtrak stop. “There’s only one pick-up and drop-off time. People can get to Chicago or Seattle using [Amtrak],” Quinn says. Spokane International Airport is 77 miles away, offering non-stop flights to west coast cities like Los Angeles and Phoenix. Sandpoint also gets all four seasons; according to Quinn, snow usually falls between Thanksgiving and March.
The Spot Bus does two loops around the Sandpoint area.
The local Amtrak runs through the night in downtown Sandpoint.
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Sandpoint High offer courses in nine industries
Students are assigned to the Lake Pend Oreille School District, a B-plus school district by Niche. Elementary students are split between Washington Elementary and Farmin Stidwell Elementary. Both these schools teach through the sixth grade. Afterward, they attend Sandpoint Middle for seventh and eighth grade. Sandpoint High is for grades nine through twelve. The school has career courses in nine industries, including business, culinary arts, and journalism. Nearby colleges and universities include the North Idaho College at Sandpoint. Their main campus is 46 miles south in Coeur D’Alene.
Sandpoint public schools have lots of green space to offer their students.
Sandpoint public schools are located in mostly residential neighborhoods.
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16% uptick in overall crime
Crime increased by 16% in Sandpoint between 2022 and 2023. The highest number of offenses were drug and theft-related incidents. The city’s crime rate trends above statewide figures, according to the Idaho State Police. The Sandpoint Police Department has three full-time officers and receives help from the Bonner County Sheriff.
Written By
Courtney Murphy
Photography Contributed By
Brandon Wong
Video By
Joan Wall
Interested in learning more about homes in this area?
Reach out to
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On average, homes in Sandpoint, ID sell after 66 days on the market compared to the national average of 53 days. The median sale price for homes in Sandpoint, ID over the last 12 months is $555,000, down 6% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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